Complete Private Dates Are Always Awkward, Aren't They?

[Harveste]

"Come ooooon! Why can't I take a cute picture!?"

The woman collapsed against her bed on a Sunday morning, dressed in the cutest outfit she could manage in her wardrobe, gripping her phone tightly. "I'm just so nervous! What was I thinking, asking him to meet in person so suddenly!?"

Kaede would probably be laughing at her if she knew, the woman thought. Sitting upright, she looked in the mirror. Sure, she was a little on the plump side, but she felt like she'd done a good job dressing herself and even let her hair down.

"I can't even remember the last time I went on a date. Oh! I should bring him some of those cookies I tried making."

She ran to the kitchen, wrapped up the cookies, and hopped in a car to New York from New Jersey- about an hour drive, give or take, thanks to traffic. In the car, she took a selfie holding the wrapped package of cookies. "Let's see, his number was... okay, and send." She sent the picture, so that the man she knew as Hanno would be able to find her.

Of course, she had to wait to see him either way. She had a meeting with her editor, first.

---

She paced at a park she'd found out about in Brooklyn. It wasn't overly crowded, but there were enough people that she felt safe doing this. Remembering she didn't know his real name or what he looked like, her insides began to twist in knots. She was getting nervous- very nervous. But she'd made a promise. So, she waited.

With mild hesitation, she dialed his number.

"H-Hello! Hanno! Um, I'm at the park. I sent you the address earlier, and a picture so you know who to look for. I brought you a gift- I hope that's okay. A-Anyway, I'll see you soon!" Whether he'd answered or not, she hung up after spurting all that out.

She found a bench to sit on and let out a deep breath. "It's okay, Jaluna," She told herself. "It's just a date. It's not like I'm asking him to marry me or anything." She looked around timidly. She was blushing like a beet as she tried to find someone with a familiar air. "Oh, I can't sit still. I'm so nervous! What if he doesn't like me?" Another sigh escaped her as she swayed on the bench, starting to hum. It helped calm her down.

"Okay, me. Just focus on doing your best so he has a good time!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The day had come and Brian was very well aware that it was his first date in... Years. He struggled with his wardrobe, tossing aside outfits of all types, and realizing that his options were fairly limited nowadays. If only this date wasn't set up so suddenly, he would have some time to buy outfits but that wasn't the case, so he made it do with a casual white shirt with black jacket and pants combination.

Basic, but couldn't fail.

When his phone rang for a message, Brian took it and glanced to find a message from her. He took a deep breath, opening the message to be surprised by her picture.

So she was his date. She was clearly older than him.

His cheeks felt warm for a moment, and he quickly went to take a picture of himself to send, figuring it was just fair and appropriate. But soon, he needed to dart off, unless he wished to get any later than he already was.

---

As he approached the destination, his phone rang again and he was even quicker than before to answer it. Listening to the voice quickly speaking, Brian opened his mouth to speak- "Oh, so you-" And then she hung up. He took a deep breath, tilting his head as he slipped a sigh. He needed to keep his composure, especially noticing just how nervous the woman was.

Finally getting to the destination, he quickly surveyed the area with his eyes until his eyes met the figure from the picture, and after taking a second to gather courage, he approached cautiously, not wanting to startle her.

"Hey there... Harveste?" He greeted, slightly uncertain.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

A younger man, tall and almost lanky in her mind, came to her and greeted her by her game name. She'd seen his picture, but seeing him in person was just... Wow. Jaluna was pretty short. She wasn't particularly pretty in her opinion- more on the cute side due to her size and the bit of baby fat still on her flushed cheeks.

Standing up, she strained her ankles to stand on her tip toes, then sighed. It hurt too much to reach his face. "I was going to give you a thank you kiss, but you're too high up..." She laughed nervously, holding a hand out instead. "I guess we'll just go the traditional route. My name is Jaluna Rolik. I look forward to spending the day with you, Mister Futaba."

She had a hunch- a hunch that using his surname from the game could work in real life, too.

Looking him up and down for a moment, she fiddled with her fingers and stared at the ground for a few moments. "S-Sorry. I'm a bit nervous and it shows on my face, so..." Just like in the game, her heart was pounding meeting him for the first time. Glancing upwards, she adjusted her glasses. "You look really nice. I wish I'd dressed up more, now." Not that she had anything cuter to wear. Did she have anything cute at all?

"Um! Where should we go from here, I wonder? Oh- or did you want to sit down?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

When the woman got on the tip of her toes, Brian blinked curious and surprised about what she was trying to do, with her following words making him flustered. She already wanted to kiss him?! She was a fast type, and Brian had to get control of the situation so they would be at a slower pace. Not that he disliked her, but he sure needed to process everything properly, or else he wouldn't be able to make her enjoy her time.

"Traditional route?" Brian muttered sheepishly before clearing his throat, reaching for Jaluna's hand and taking it gently, bending in for a kiss on its back, committing on this much affection for now. "Of course, let's have a lot of fun." His lips quirked in a timid, but genuine smile while he offered his arm for her to hold onto.

"If you want to have a seat, we can. There is a nice park nearby-" He said.

"I did make a few plans for us, just in case you didn't have anywhere in particular to go." Brian admitted, wondering if it would be too weird to come too prepared.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

Seeing the flustered look on his face, Jaluna giggled softly, her face still red as a beet. "I meant on the cheek! The cheek!" She too was flustered. As she didn't have a lot of dating experience, she had no idea really what she was doing. But, as he kissed the back of her hand, the woman's lips curled upward slightly. "I was going for a handshake, but that was sweet of you."

When he offered her his arm, she wrapped her arms around it, leaning against him gently. "I don't know the area well enough to make any plans or have any ideas. I'm grateful you came prepared- it's very thoughtful of you." She wasn't lying when she said she lived under a rock- well, not literally, but still. Jaluna had been so nervous, she couldn't do any research to prepare. She'd been too busy trying to fight a panic attack the day before. She wasn't going to tell him that, though.

"So! Where did you want to go first?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"A-Ah, right. The cheek." He chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck with his free hand.

"So, I was thinking about us going to watch a movie. Then we can eat something, there is a nice place I know... And finally, we can chill at the bridge park. From there and on, it depends if you want to do anything at night. If you will have the time of course." Brian said what seemed to be a fairly solid and innocent date plan, something casual and simple.

But it was not.

It was actually a meticulously crafted plan. He had already predicted that Harveste-- Jaluna's personality wouldn't allow her to take the lead right off the bat, so he decided on a movie. Yes, a movie right at the start, even if it was still early. This would give them an initial start off, since they had just met there wasn't much of a topic they had to talk about, and a movie was a perfect topic to talk about after they left to eat something.

The eating part was perhaps the riskiest move of Brian because of his choice for the place they would eat, and because it would be sort off the standard time to have a nice meal, but the way he planned it hopefully would work out, at least to impress her a bit.

And finally, the Bridge Park may be a weird choice, but by the time they are done with the movie and eating, the sun should be near setting, and the view was a good way to close it.

Finally, this would give Jaluna's the comfort necessary to take the lead herself, or to be satisfied and happy with their day.

Phew- Hopefully it was a good plan!

One that Brian hid behind an innocent smile, keeping her warmly close as they walked next to each other.

"Do you wanted to watch any particular movie?" He asked, not wishing to push to the romance movie watching cliche, after all he, didn't want her to be uncomfortable and flustered all the time.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

She giggled slightly as he came to terms with what she'd meant by the kiss statement. His bashfulness was too cute! Then again, that was part of what she liked about him when they met. He'd even plotted out a simple yet detailed plan for them. Her eyes sparkled slightly as she looked up at him, giggling.

"You really went all out, huh, Ha-" No! That wasn't his name, and she knew that. Still smiling shyly, she took a deep breath before saying his name properly. "Brian." Then, he'd mentioned the night depended on if she wanted to and had time.

Hugging his arm a bit tighter, she mused up to him with a goofy grin. "For you, Brian, I have all the time in the world."

Okay, it was a cliche line and she knew it- but she really did have that much time. Jaluna worked on a random schedule- or rather, she had none. So, she could spend as much time with him as she wanted without feeling guilty- except, would he even want her to?

She was growing more confident as time passed. She was going to be flustered a lot, and she knew that, but she was also rather happy too. She couldn't help herself. He was a nice guy, after all.

"I don't really pay attention to what's in theaters," she admitted. "But... Definitely not a horror movie. I scare too easy." She tried to think about the types of movies that she liked. She didn't watch that many. "I-I know it's a little cliche to ask, but is there perhaps some sort of rom-com or something in theaters right now?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The mention of him going all out caught him off guard. He thought his plan was pretty casual, exactly to make him not seem like he was overly excited, but it seemed it backfired. Thankfully, if anything the woman seemed to like the fact he planned this much, so a brief sigh escaped his lips as he smiled. "I mean, I can't get you to come from your home all the way here just to make you waste your time with a bad time, can I?" He said, averting his face and feeling his arm being squeezed softly.

Her words made his cheeks warm up once again, but this time he was ready to take the blow. "I am honored-" He chuckled, looking at her. "The same then. We will have fun as long as you wish." Brian said, guiding Jaluna with him to the closest movie theater, which was just a few minutes away on foot.

The desire for a rom-com made Brian ease his nervousness. A rom-com was a good bridge, not particularly cliche, not awkward since it had some laughs in it, but there was still some romantic mood into it.

"That's a good idea, Luna." He dared a nickname, if she didn't mind. "There is always something like that in the list, it should be fun."

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

To Jaluna, any planning was more than she expected. She didn't suspect any particular level of excitement- but if she did, she'd have been happy if she were right. This was, after all, because she'd been rather daring in a game. She was still surprised he'd accepted the bold request she'd made. If anyone was overly excited, it was probably her.

"I mean, I was going to be in the area anyway. Getting to see you just made it a fun visit instead of all work. All work and no play makes a person boring, after all." And she was having fun, surprisingly. Surprisingly because she'd been a nervous wreck all morning, to the point her editor had figured out her plans for the rest of the day and teased her relentlessly for it.

His words made her warm and fuzzy again. Her mind focused in on the 'We will have fun' statement. Would he really be able to have fun if he was with her? Luckily, she was able to stop some of her self-doubt about them with a reminder to focus on him, not the negative thoughts.

The nickname didn't seem to faze her- because a good number of people used it besides him, particularly friends. Instead, she was just happy he liked her idea. A part of her had been worried that the 'rom' in rom-com would make things weird. She didn't know that it was actually a bit of a good thing. Sighing with relief that her opinion satisfied him, she nodded up at him. "I'm glad you think so too!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"This means we already made this Sunday worth it," Brian said, a bit confidently now. "Working on Sundays sounds rough, so let's have fun the rest of the day then." He nodded, tugging her closer as they finally neared the theater, getting in the line for the ticket cabin while the posters were there, giving their options. There were a handful of movies in the romance section, and about two of them had a funny cheesy title onto it, making it clear that they were meant to be comical in a way.

"You were with your editor today, I think I may have missed it out, but are you a writer?" He asked, wondering what she worked with.

As the line continued to move, he cast a glance at the movie options, muttering the titles under his breath before looking at Jaluna's eyes.

"Any of those caught your attention, Luna?" He asked, letting her take a pick.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

She was a little surprised when he had her move closer to him- but not in a bad way. Jaluna was a naturally affectionate person. She liked to be close to the people she liked, so the opportunity being given to her was considerate and appreciated by her. Without a second thought, she rested her head against his arm, smiling slightly until she had to look at the posters.

Adjusting her glasses, she pointed to the one that caught her attention first, telling him it by name. "I don't know what the movies are about, but the title gives me butterflies," she told him with a soft laugh. Butterflies were normal in this situation anyway, weren't they? But blaming the title certainly felt helpful.

"Ah, yes! I write a mixture of things. I find it a lot of fun, but it's meetings like today's that remind me it's still work." She wasn't complaining, though. Being able to do what she loved and work on primarily her own schedule was a wonderful deal. The meetings were a small price to pay- especially when one led her to have an opportunity like this one.

Jaluna continued to hug Brian's arm with one of her own, but began digging in her skirt pocket for her wallet. Looking up at him, she asked, "Should I pay? My dad always said it's important to offer, and a lot of people have told me the one who asks for the date in the first place should pay, so... Let's see, two adult tickets is..."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

With her head resting on his arm, Brian tried to not feel to flustered about it, just enjoying the moment instead while listening to her movir choice with a faint nod. "Butterflies, huh? So you like this sort of feeling?" He asked, then peeking at Jaluna.

"Let me know what stuff you write so I can give it a read in my free time." Brian asked, just in case she didn't feel bad about this sort of thing.

Seeing that Jaluna wanted to pay, he whistled away while tucking a hand into his pocket. Without really asking for permission, Brian pulled some money from his wallet, placing on the counter of the cabin and pushing it toward the clerk.

"Hey buddy. Two adult tickets for this movie please." Brian said, waiting for the clerk to take note of the purchase and glancing at Jaluna, hoping she wasn't going to get upset for that.

"You already spent enough to come all the way here." He explained, then smiling. "Want to have any snack or popcorn for it?" He asked.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

"It's an intuitive feeling. They do often say to make choices with your gut, don't they?" In reality, it was just an excuse. She'd had butterflies already, so it was hard to tell which one she intuitively liked more. Still, she had chosen based off that. But she felt bad lying. So, she corrected herself. "Well, either way it was intuition."

When he asked to read her work, she nodded. "I have a copy at home. I'll bring it with me next time." Wait- wasn't it a little soon to be saying 'next time'? Sure, she did have to go to New York for editor meetings, but she didn't even know if he'd want a 'next time'. She could feel her face getting hotter already.

While she was fiddling with her wallet awkwardly, Brian had already paid for their tickets. "You should at least say something if you plan to pay," She mumbled. She accepted his reasoning though- she had had to pay for the ride into the state, and then a ride after her meeting to their meeting place. She didn't think that was something he should have to pay for by any means, of course, but still. She kept her wallet out just in case he planned to put her in charge of refreshments.

"I mostly need a drink," she stated, thinking for a moment. "Popcorn is good if we're going to share, but otherwise I'll just skip it. The sizes are pretty big nowadays, and I don't want to eat too much if we're planning to eat afterward." She knew it would be cuter potentially if she ate less at their meal, but that just wasn't how she operated. "What were you thinking of having?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"That's right. Believing in your guts is always a nice choice." Brian said, always more fond of trusting on his feelings. Something that only grew more when he started playing Terrasphere, where his avatar has a very realible instinct regarding the dangers that surround him. Something that honestly... Gave him a small habit of having a similar skill, probably due to the realistic practice he had in the game all the time.

When she answered him about the book copy, Brian paused when she spoke about bringing it 'next time'. He paused, averting his eyes for a moment.

"Sure. Show me next time." He said, a bit assertive as they moved on.

A chuckle escaped from his lips, and he looked at her. "Sorry, but I would feel bad if you paid after you coming all the way here." Brian said, reaching for her forehead with his free hand to brush her bang away from her glasses after she fiddled with the wallet.

"... I think I will have a popcorn so we can share, and then a drink." He suggested, getting to the counter of the snack shop.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

Her smile lit up on her face as he agreed with her on the 'next time' sentiment, though a part of her knew it was more an assumption than an absolute at this point in time. She was dense, sure, but she had some brains. She at least knew that, although a date could lead to another, it didn't always mean it was going to. But even if that were an issue, she had a hope they'd at least remain friends- friends that shared a similar, dangerous hobby.

As she thought about it, she couldn't help wondering if her asking him on this date had anything to do with her tendency to rush into danger in the game. Well, he seemed like a gentleman right now, though. Maybe her instincts about him were right. The thought made her feel like a blossoming flower, and her facial color certainly matched that at the time.

When he brushed her bangs from her eyes, she was surprised her lenses weren't fogging up with how it made her heart race. You'd think someone accustomed to affectionate acts and who was hugging his arm this entire time would be able to handle that, wouldn't you? But somehow, it made her shy.

"What do you like to drink, Brian?" She asked after getting an air bubble out of her throat from the awkward feeling of his fingers grazing her forehead. She put her wallet away for the time being, following him carefully to the snack shop. "I think I'll have iced tea myself. If they have it, I mean." Finally calmer, she looked up at him with her beaming grin once again.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Jaluna's face when he brushed away her hair made Brian feel sheepish, with a timid but gentle smile crossing his lips as he leaned away, noticing that she grabbed the wallet to be ready to pay. This time he wasn't going to stop her, not wanting to force her into an uncomfortable position where he paid for everything she wanted. "Iced tea sounds good actually-" Brian muttered, deciding to pick the same, and then following to order a big popcorn bag for both of them.

As he wanted for the popcorn to be ready, he hummed for a moment, casting a glance at the woman and looking at her for a bit, averting his eyes and letting out a quiet chuckle.

"You know, it is kind of funny to see the difference between us and our avatars." He said, silent so just of them could hear.

Brian then looked at the popcorn being done, taking it for them with an arm, and having to free his arm to pick up the drink, but not before adding: "You are even cuter in person though." His face then averted, timid about his words while he paid for his drink and the popcorn, waiting to see if Jaluna wanted to pay for her drink.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

She had meant to put away the wallet, but was naturally unsure what to do. He'd said he wanted to pay because she paid her way to their date- but how much was he planning to spend on her? That concern could come later. Remembering his kindness was what she decided to do. Getting on her toes, she tugged on him slightly before he had anything in his arms, kissing his cheek and whispering a thank you in his ear.

She was clearly flustered, but confident enough in her actions to not avert her gaze this time. At least, not until she heard a chuckle and side comment from the person that had just gotten in line behind them. It wasn't a snide remark, mind you. If anything, it was a compliment.

But, Jaluna was bad with compliments.

She didn't react notably besides the anxiety crossing her features until Brian had averted his gaze upon calling her 'cuter in person'. Wait, wait. That meant she was cute in general, didn't it? That couldn't be what he was implying, right? Well, okay, in the game she considered herself cute- but that was an avatar. He was telling her she was cuter than her character!

Frantically, she waved her hands in front of her face a bit. "I-I'm really not." She looked down for a moment, then back up at him. "Besides, why would you turn away if there's something cute in front of you?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The kiss on his cheek brought a shy warmth across his body, one that made Brian fidget this time, with his leg becoming agitated for a moment, just as he touched the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. "... Y-You are welcome." He said, a bit sheepish as he struggled to keep a hold on things, eventually taking their orders on his arms and then looking at the flustered woman.

Maybe he had overdone with the compliment? Perhaps... But the way she tried to reject it and how she retorted him made Brian pause and take a deep breath, recomposing himself and turning to face her.

"Y-You are cute." He said, pursing his lips. "And... You are right. I shouldn't look away." Brian said, focusing his sight on her eyes for about three seconds before gesturing with his head for them to move on.

"Let's go, we need to get to our seats." He said, trying to distract themselves from the awkwardness.

Whenever they would reach for their theater room, it was clear that almost the whole room was for them. With the exception of a few couples scattered around it, finding an isolated spot was an easy task.

He waited for her to take the lead there, since he had both of his arms busy and it was better for her to pick up a good spot for her, since his size allowed him to see well anywhere.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

Seeing how fidgety she'd made him, Jaluna pouted for a singular moment. Was that a sign that he didn't like her affection? It took her a moment to think of the fact he could just be feeling a bit shy from her actions. Finally accepting that as the reason, she apologized. "Sorry, was that too much?"

Her face was crimson when he called her cute again- this time while looking her in the eye. She could feel her face heating up like an oven, but opted to try to focus right back on him. It didn't last more than a second or two, though, before she glanced at her feet.

"T-Thank you." It was a simple set of words, but they were all she could muster for the moment. As he gestured for them to move on, she nodded with a unique quickness, following him into the theater.

Jaluna's pick of seats was interesting, because she chose a seat that was in the middle, making sure not to be too close to a speaker's line of sight. It also helped that no one was in front of her- meaning her short stature wouldn't get in the way of seeing the movie. Taking a seat, she smiled up at him. "I hope this spot is okay with you."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Brian looked at her, noticing that his embarrassment was probably making her get the wrong idea. "No, far from that. I... Sorry, it is just it has been a while since I've done this stuff, y'know." He rubbed his neck, deciding to be more honest about the whole thing. Brian forced himself to not avert his eyes or face. "And well, you are very caring. I like that, don't worry, I'm just not used to it." Brian explained, but emphasized he liked by staying closer, even if they couldn't hold each other now.

As they got to choose a place to sit, he rested the popcorn between the two of the, placing the big iced tea cup on the cup holder of the chair and glancing at her with a shy smile. "Yeah, this is a nice spot. Good thing that it is sorta empty, right? It is rare to see it on Sundays." He said.

He liked the sense of privacy, even if it wasn't real since others were there. But honestly, everyone who was in this session was focused on their own partners, and Brian wasn't different.

Resting his head on the chair, the room rumbled with the sound of the loudspeakers, with some trailers playing before the actual movie.

During that time, Brian avoided taking any popcorn, wanting to save it, and leaning a bit closer to Jaluna so they could hear each other without bothering anyone, even if people rarely cared about trailers, though one in particular caught his attention. "... Say... If we go for movies again someday. Do you want to watch that one when it comes out?" He asked.

@Harveste